All the Wrong Reasons

I've learned not to take seriously the category given to films by Optimum on Demand, which is where I saw All the Wrong Reasons. They have it listed as a "comedy" which is as absurd as listing "Ghostbusters" as a horror film. So I paid and started watching knowing almost nothing about it. I was quite pleasantly surprised. It's actually a drama about some working class young people somewhere (I'm not sure where exactly) in Canada, working in a Walmart-type store, and the relationships and interactions of a handful of characters. I could see how some viewers might find it boring, as it's more about the psychologies of the characters than it is focused on any great action or plot. Two of the main characters suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder; how they each deal and cope with their personal experience and symptoms is the theme of the film. Needless to say, they come out at the end better for all that's happened. If you like a film that's primarily about people, their relationships and emotions, then you quite likely will like this. It's engrossing and well done, IMHO.

James Ascher (Cory Monteith) is the manager of a department chainstore. His wife Kate (Karine Vanasse) is anxiety-ridden and monitors the security cameras. Nicole Cambria (Emily Hampshire) is the single-mom cashier struggling with money and her deadbeat ex-husband. Simon Brunson (Kevin Zegers) is a firefighter who recently lost his hand and takes a security job at the store.

I love the introduction of these characters. The actors are all talented. It's set up for a great movie but the story doesn't move fast enough. At almost two hours, the movie is over-extended. It needs to be thirty minutes shorter and a lot tighter. There is great stuff in here but the movie needs more intensity.

Reading other reviews made me want to leave one. I only sought this movie because I love Cory. I'd watch paint dry if he was on the screen. I prepared for the slow pace or boredom one reviewer said because every Canadian movie I've ever watched is extremely Slow paced. I found Kate selfish and rude. She was not a very sympathetic character. Can't blame the cashier for wanting to climb James (Cory) like a tree. One look at the dimples and I'd be goo.

My sojourn as I look to view all the films featuring Canadian actress Karine Vanasse has led me to some very unique and underseen films. I would count this as one of them personally.

The direction is a little stilted and some of the plot elements are revealed in awkward ways, but I was moved by the emotional journeys of its damaged but recognizably human characters. Karine honestly has the best performance in the most interesting role, as a woman whose trauma has caused her to be fear physical proximity to others.

That said, the few people who watch this are likely doing this to see the late Cory Monteith in his last film role. He brings nuance to a character that would lack empathy in another actor's hands. I've never actually seen Glee or any of his other roles, but he certainly showed great promise here.

The overall story is a little all over, with four protagonists all dealing with seemingly disparate issues that at times make them come off as quite unlikable. But the script makes the internal lives of all the characters clear, giving us an awareness of why they're doing the things they're doing, even when they engage in horrifying and cruel behaviors. The last scenes lost some of this nuance, painting certain characters as more one-dimensional than previously perhaps in an attempt to justify a somewhat "pat" ending.

So, I can't say it's a perfect movie, or one that I would recommend to most people, but I personally thought it was worth my time.